A look at “Ab,” “7-Minute” and “Kettlebell” workouts

This is the second part of a two-part series on Google's most searched exercises. The three I discuss here are “Ab Workouts,” “7-Minute Workout” and “Kettlebell Workouts.”

Ab Workouts

What is it? Experts disagree about the “best way” to work the abdominal muscles. Some say that these muscles are no different from any other skeletal muscles and so, theoretically, they should respond to the same stimuli.

Thus, working them the same way you would work your biceps or shoulders should be effective.

“If you really want to have the outward appearance of washboard abs, you need to train the stomach muscles just like you train your biceps using strength/resistance training methods (e.g., holding a weight against your chest while doing crunches),” says Michele S. Olson, Ph.D., a professor at Auburn University's Montgomery Human Performance Laboratory.

Then there are those who believe the primary purpose or best function of your abs is to act as “anti-gravity” or stabilizer muscles, meaning they support and anchor your body (hold you upright) and are in a low state of activity all the time.

Experts believe that, in this case, abs should be treated as endurance muscles and trained accordingly. “This means doing a variety of exercises, including using core equipment such as an exercise/stability ball, with a high frequency on a daily basis,” says Olson.

Health Consequences: One of the most common mistakes people make is working the wrong muscles or actually not working any muscles at all.

The most important thing to remember is, if you don't feel the abdominal exercises in your stomach or if you experience discomfort in an unrelated area of the body it's probably not working, and there is a good chance you will injure yourself.

Bottom Line: A study completed by the Biomechanics Lab at San Diego State University looked at some of the most common abdominal exercises and found the following three to be the best of the bunch: Bicycle Maneuver, Captain's Chair, and Crunch on Exercise Ball. (Keep in mind that only 13 out of hundreds of abdominal exercises were analyzed.)

7-Minute Workout

What is it? The “7-Minute Workout” is about high-intensity training. The folks at the Human Performance Institute in Orlando, Fla., published a scientific article titled “High-Intensity Circuit Training Using Body Weight: Maximum Results with Minimal Investment” in the American College of Sport's Medicine's Health & Fitness Journal in June of 2013 (see: http://bit.ly/1eC0JNm). The article outlined a 12-station high-intensity workout with each exercise to be performed for 30 seconds and 10 seconds of rest between sets.

1. Jumping jacks Total body

2. Wall sit Lower body

3. Push-up Upper body

4. Abdominal crunch Core

5. Step-up onto chair Total body

6. Squat Lower body

7. Triceps dip on chair Upper body

8. Plank Core

9. High knees/running in place Total body

10. Lunge Lower body

11. Push-up and rotation Upper body

12. Side plank Core

The one catch is that the researchers recommend doing the “circuit” two or three times, which means it's actually a 21-minute workout. But doing at least the seven minutes still has benefits.

Health Benefit: According to the researchers, “HICT (high intensity circuit training) seems to be an efficient means of exercise to help decrease body fat, improve insulin sensitivity, and improve VO2 max (maximal aerobic capacity) and muscular fitness.” Additionally, using only your own body weight as resistance means you don't need a gym.

Health Consequences: Any time you're doing high-intensity training you need to be wary of injury as you plow through the exercises as hard as you can.

Bottom Line: Most people are pressed for time.

In fact, it's the No. 1 reason we don't exercise. So, if you can do seven minutes at the very least, it will affect your life. Try seven minutes per day of those 12 exercises.

You can download a free “7 Minute Workout” app by Bytesize. It times the workout for you.

Kettlebell Workouts

What is it? Kettlebells can provide a challenging, effective workout for those who are bored with traditional free weights or simply looking for an alternative.

The placement of the handle on the kettlebell means that its center-of-mass is outside the grip. This results in a far different and greater challenge than that of most free-weight exercises and can provide a terrific challenge to the muscles of the forearms, shoulders and core, says Jonathan Ross, a spokesman for the American Council on Exercise.

“Kettlebell exercises help with regular everyday functions such as lifting groceries, carrying a pile of magazines, gardening, throwing out the trash or lifting a child moving irregular-size objects and controlling the momentum,” says Tedd Keating, Ph.D., a professor of physical education and human performance at Manhattan College.

Health Benefit: A kettlebell is a compact and convenient piece of fitness equipment.

Once you figure out the weight that's appropriate for you, all the exercises use just that one kettlebell.

As you get stronger, you simply do additional repetitions and increase movement speed. Research says that the best improvement is in abdominal core strength.

Health Consequences: Kettlebells can be unexpectedly heavy, and the design adds an additional “unwieldy” component that can be both helpful and dangerous. Kettlebells do not provide a complete workout. And don't try this on your own; get an expert to show you how to do it.

Charles Stuart Platkin is a nutrition and public health advocate and founder of DietDetective.com.